Nationals defeat Braves but a good time is had

THE HIGHLIGHT

My dad and I did not see the Braves win Monday but my dad did catch a practice home run ball hit by Braves third baseman Martin Prado. We went into the stadium when the Braves were doing batting practice and I decided to go down close to the outfield. My dad followed and soon Prado unloaded on a pitch and sent it our way. Both of us have been to lots of baseball games but neither of us have ever caught a ball, whether it be a home run or a foul ball. I saw that the ball was going to sail over my head. It was all happening so fast. You really don’t have time to react. I stupidly put up my left hand up to try to catch it (I think my right hand held binoculars), instead of maybe throwing my hat up like a glove. My dad was behind me though and he put both hands together to catch it and it flew through his hands and hit his chest. The ball bounced to the ground where he picked it up. He was OK, but he will probably be sore for a few days. He said he will write on it about the day it was caught and who hit it.

He also came up with an idea for a hat that could be sold at the ballpark that is a hat-glove hybrid. It can be worn as a hat but has finger slots to catch the ball. If anyone can market this idea, let us know HAHA!

THE SEATS

I splurged and bought great seats for me and my dad. This game was my Father’s Day gift to him so I went big. We sat on the first base line in shallow right field about halfway up in the lower section.

THE GAME

The Nationals won 5-3 but my dad and I both felt like the Nats dominated the game. This probably goes against the rules of being a good fan since the Nats are in the Braves’ division, but I’d rather see the Braves lose to the Nats then a lot of other teams. The Nats haven’t been that good and they are kind’ve a hometown team so I want to see them do well. Plus, UVa’s Ryan Zimmerman plays third base for the Nats and is one of their best payers so that makes the team likable as well.

Despite the Braves’ loss it was an entertaining game. We saw six home runs, including two each by Braves second baseman Dan Uggla and Nationals center fielder Rick Ankiel, the pitcher turned outfielder who remade himself by going back to the minors a few years ago. My dad said he really respects a guy like that.

I thought one of the reasons the Braves would win was because the pitching matchup favored them. Jair Jurrjens has quietly been one of the best pitchers in the majors this season but he was soundly topped by the Nats’ Livan Hernandez. Jurrjens did not have his best stuff.

THE WILD CARD RACE

The Braves, once five to six games up on the Diamondbacks in the wild card race, now only hold a 1.5-game lead on both the D-Backs and the Giants. The Diamondbacks and Giants are currently locked in a heated division battle and three-game series. Arizona won the past two games to tie San Fran for the division lead. If the Braves aren’t careful, one of these teams could pass them in the wild card race. The Braves need to win series against losing teams, something they didn’t do against the Nationals. Tuesday, the Braves were crushed 9-3 by the Nationals, ensuring Washington won the three-game series. The finale is today at 1 p.m. Hopefully the Braves can salvage a win.

One of the advantages the Braves will have over both the Giants and D-Backs is that since those two teams are in the same division, they will beat each other up a lot as the regular season winds down and they keep playing each other. It will be tough for one of them to keep up with the Braves when they defeating each other. So, if the Braves can just get back on track and make sure they win most of their series, I think they can still earn the wild card berth.

A FUNNY ENCOUNTER

When my dad and I were getting food, this female Nats employee came up to us and asked my dad, “What are you doing with him?” as she gestured toward me. I was confused because I figured she was a Nationals fans since she worked for them and was wearing a Nats polo shirt. My dad was wearing a Chipper Jones shirt so I wasn’t sure what she was getting at. I thought she thought my dad was a Nats fan and was with me, a Braves fan. However, she explained that she was a Braves fan and she thought I was a Nationals fan. I was wearing a Braves hat but she was short so she probably couldn’t see it, and I was wearing a Dave Matthews Band at Nationals Park shirt from when I went to their concert there last July. It looks like a Nationals shirt. So that was the confusion. I showed her my Braves hat though and then she understood.